Villanova Law Women's Network

Calling all Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law Alum! The SBA apparel sale is open now through November 4th.

(2/2) (More on Jaclyn Reilly, September VLWN Woman of the Month, below) What professional milestone are you most proud of? The professional milestone I am most proud of is starting my own agency, Ethos Group. While it wasn’t something I initially planned, my entrepreneurial spirit, passion for business, and desire to help athletes build their own brands motivated me to take this leap. What excites you the most about your role, or what has surprised you the most about your career? What excites me the most is seeing a deal come to fruition from start to finish. Whether it’s a client writing a book or launching their own consumer product, witnessing an idea transform into reality is incredibly rewarding. I’m also pleasantly surprised by how often I rely on my law degree on a daily basis, which underscores the versatility and value of a legal education in unexpected ways.

(1/2) Hi all!?We are starting back up our Villanova Law Women’s Network Woman of the Month by (belatedly) introducing our September 2024 Woman of the Month, Jaclyn Reilly.?Read all about Jaclyn, Co-Founder at Ethos Group, below: Tell me about yourself. Why did you decide to go to law school, and why VLS specifically? I graduated from Villanova University (VU) with a bachelor's degree in Political Science in 2009 and went on to earn my law degree from Villanova Law School (VLS) in 2012. My decision to attend Villanova Law was significantly influenced by the incredible experience I had at Villanova University. With my father, aunt, and sister all being VU alumni and my sister also continuing to VLS, the Villanova community felt like a family tradition. It was the natural path for me, and pursuing my legal education at Villanova Law was always a clear choice. Tell me about your current role. Two and a half years ago, I launched my own agency, Ethos Group, an award-winning, strategy-driven communications, consulting, and management firm representing talent—primarily professional athletes—and brands at the intersection of sports and entertainment. Whether my client is an already established icon or a rookie in the league looking to disrupt, my team and I work with them to develop a cohesive brand strategy focused on what makes them unique and help amplify their overall personal brand and portfolio. How did you navigate a non-traditional legal career path? Was it always your intent to do so? From the start of law school, I always knew I wanted to be a sports agent, so I focused my studies on contracts and sports law, contributing to the sports law journal at VLS. After graduation, I started my career at IMG as a business affairs attorney, where I spent a majority of my time negotiating national broadcast contracts and marketing deals for IMG’s Clients division. I eventually transitioned from the legal side of the business to the agent side, and after becoming an agent at WME Sports, I primarily handled marketing deals for high-profile athletes across all major professional sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, PGA, and WTA. I’ve been extremely fortunate over the last 10 years to have personally worked with some of the greatest athletes like Venus Williams, Cam Newton, Tom Brady, Carmelo Anthony, and most recently Angel Reese, to name a few. Understanding the often short span of athlete’s careers, I aim to help them build long term personal brands and generational wealth.

Welcome to the Villanova Law Women's Network Page! Unlike our existing LinkedIn Group, this Page will allow VLWN members to share content with their external networks. We look forward to continuing to grow and support this awesome community together.